Foreclosures are leaving some pets homeless

Dogs and cats don't sign up for risky mortgages or get delinquent on their monthly payments, but they can be victims of home foreclosures.

Petfinder.com, an online database of adoptable pets that has more than 11,000 member animal shelters and rescue groups, recently completed a survey to gauge the effect of foreclosures on pets and their owners.

Among 1,055 responses, half of its members had pets relinquished to them in the last six months because of a home foreclosure.